BeBop Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I'm off-topic here (kinda), but I wonder how many "blind" purchases will be made in the distant future. I'm thinking of the future where the bulk of music is downloaded and supported by samples, which would seem to render a purchase "un-blind", by my definition. Oh, sure, there will still be some CDs and LPs available, brick and mortar, but the majority... If you agree with the premise, what does it mean for the joy of discovery, in your opinion? Does having a sample in advance dilute the joy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 If you agree with the premise, what does it mean for the joy of discovery, in your opinion? Does having a sample in advance dilute the joy? Not necessarily. If you get to be more demanding it can be comforting to listen in beforehand and make sure it is what you expect. But OTOH (as explained on another thread) it did happen to me that I was slightly underwhelmed with records or CDs I had bought "blind" (or "deaf", if you prefer) as they did not turn out to be 100% what I had expected. However, in virtually all cases I did warm up to them upon repeated listening, i.e. they really "grew on me". I doubt this process would have occurred if I had listened to a sample first (because who would listen to the samples 2, 3 or 4 times just to "make sure"?). SO I might have missed out on some music that owuld have been enjoyable and would have opened up new horizons after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 No doubt about it, 8 second samples can be deceptive. Perhaps someday, there will be a thread about basing purchases on samples and being surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted June 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 About 75% of everything I bought out of the Treasure City cutout bins between 1971-1974. All I knew was "jazz" and prices as low as 3/$1.00. Examples include Blakey's Indestructible, the Joe Harriot Jazzland sides, some Chico Hamilton PJ stuff, Ornette's New York Is Now, Joe Daley's RCA side, George Wein on Impulse! w/Pee Wee Russell & Bud Freeman, etc etc etc. 3 for $1!!! You must be the luckiest guy on the planet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Well, the really good ones were usually $2.99, but, yeah, right place, right time, fersure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 One of my top five desert island discs was a "blind" purchase, and you can imagine how important it turned out to be to the future Gene Harris Fanatic: I remember a while ago when I was fussing over a skip in my Complete Blue Hour Sessions (disc 1, which turns out to actually be disc 2 ... I think) you mentioned that this was a snooze of a disc. I realize you're talking about the original release above, so maybe you meant just disc 2 of the "Complete" (or, disc 1, as the flip flops). Or maybe just as likely, your love for this one was well known and you were just being sarcastic, and it sailed over my head at the time. Anyways, glad to know this one makes your desert island list. Not sure it'd make mine, but I do enjoy it. There are a couple of things for me that fall pretty squarely under the intent of the thread, I think: As I've mentioned before, if there was one blind purchase that pretty much flipped the switch, the first real "ah-hah!" (more like "holy shit!") moment, it was Coltrane's "One Down, One Up, Live at the Half Note." That single 'blind purchase' led me to blindly purchase just about anything involving Coltrane for the next couple of years -- and with him, at that stage in my listening, more often than not those really were "blind" purchases -- as in, "Hmmm, I wonder what this 'Interstellar Space' deal is all about?" Or, "Pharoah Sanders. Wonder if this cat smooths out some of the wildness in this later-period stuff?" More recently, I'd also characterize Alexander Hawkins' release "No Now Is So" as a blind purchase (although it came highly recommended). I had no real idea what the music was going to sound like, and although it is pretty unique and abstract music, it is also extremely beautiful and thoughtful music. And so, made a pretty big and immediate impression. I'm sure there are some others. Those two jump out at me now though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 "Pharoah Sanders. Wonder if this cat smooths out some of the wildness in this later-period stuff?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted June 29, 2010 Report Share Posted June 29, 2010 Oooooh yeah ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted June 29, 2010 Report Share Posted June 29, 2010 One of my top five desert island discs was a "blind" purchase, and you can imagine how important it turned out to be to the future Gene Harris Fanatic: I remember a while ago when I was fussing over a skip in my Complete Blue Hour Sessions (disc 1, which turns out to actually be disc 2 ... I think) you mentioned that this was a snooze of a disc. I realize you're talking about the original release above, so maybe you meant just disc 2 of the "Complete" (or, disc 1, as the flip flops). Or maybe just as likely, your love for this one was well known and you were just being sarcastic, and it sailed over my head at the time. Anyways, glad to know this one makes your desert island list. Not sure it'd make mine, but I do enjoy it. Yup, just being sarcastic - or else critical of those guys who do think its a snooze of an album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted June 29, 2010 Report Share Posted June 29, 2010 I still buy things blindly when I can. Even something in the rare vinyl realm I'm looking for, if sound samples or a CD-R are offered, I prefer to just find out completely on my own. Of course, looking back to when I first began buying jazz records & CDs, purchases of Coltrane, Ayler & Dolphy were completely blind and a fair number of recommendations from this board I've not entirely known what to expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted June 29, 2010 Report Share Posted June 29, 2010 In my situation (everything I buy, I have to dispose of within a week or few, because I don't have a place to keep it), I buy bunches of stuff out of the "dollar bin". Long ago, I bought Archie Shepp/NHOP - Looking at Bird. Changed my life. Well, not quite, but sent me a new direction. Got me into Shepp, duos, bass players...pushed me a bit further "outside" (not that it's very far "out", but relative to my tastes in 1980(?)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted June 29, 2010 Report Share Posted June 29, 2010 I think a fair few ECMs were bought blind - I loved the covers and those strange Scandinavian names! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted June 29, 2010 Report Share Posted June 29, 2010 (edited) Another "blind" purchase from Vinyl Exchange, now a treasured possession: Edited June 29, 2010 by BillF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fent99 Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 Hope I've got the meaning here right. I buy loads of stuff without having heard it, in fact I might prefer it that way. I definitely know more about the music now than I did at the start but its great when you pick something up take it home and put in the player to see what it sounds like. It does sometimes go the other way of course... Recent blind surprises Great Sugarman 3 Soul Donkey Bad Lalo Schifrin Towering Tocata Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 It does sometimes go the other way of course... Might be interesting to expand the topic to include this side of the equation too. I know I could name a few that I tried to forget purchasing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head Man Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 I once bought a copy of Machine Gun, direct from Peter Brotzman in a London jazz shop where he was delivering copies, without any idea what it would sound like. When I got home and played it..... I went blind........no sorry, deaf! It was the only jazz album my wife ever refused to allow me to play when she was in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fent99 Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 It does sometimes go the other way of course... Might be interesting to expand the topic to include this side of the equation too. I know I could name a few that I tried to forget purchasing. Most recent in the bad camp is a compilation of Timi Yuro bought on the vaguest of memories that Chuck said he was a fan. In fairness they are re-recordings of her hits from the 80s and it cost £1... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 I once bought a copy of Machine Gun, direct from Peter Brotzman in a London jazz shop where he was delivering copies, without any idea what it would sound like. When I got home and played it..... I went blind........no sorry, deaf! It was the only jazz album my wife ever refused to allow me to play when she was in the house. Pre-FMP private edition? Hold onto that one, even if it is an unruly slab o' wax! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head Man Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 (edited) I once bought a copy of Machine Gun, direct from Peter Brotzman in a London jazz shop where he was delivering copies, without any idea what it would sound like. When I got home and played it..... I went blind........no sorry, deaf! It was the only jazz album my wife ever refused to allow me to play when she was in the house. Pre-FMP private edition? Hold onto that one, even if it is an unruly slab o' wax! Yes, it was pre-FMP but I'm afraid it went many years ago. Sold back to the same record shop in which I bought it. Hopefully it brought some (listening) joy to someone. I once bought a copy of Machine Gun, direct from Peter Brotzman in a London jazz shop where he was delivering copies, without any idea what it would sound like. When I got home and played it..... I went blind........no sorry, deaf! It was the only jazz album my wife ever refused to allow me to play when she was in the house. Oh yes, and Captain Beefheart's 'Trout Mask Replica'. Perhaps this might be good new thread to start: 'Albums that your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner/family etc etc never allowed you to play whilst they were around' Edited June 30, 2010 by Head Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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